Broadband speeds often misrepresented
Broadband speeds often do not live up their advertised numbers, as reported by the New York Times and a recent Federal Communications Commission report. Speed Matters has long advocated for this viewpoint.
In a recent study of broadband service providers the FCC reported that the average download speed of an American broadband connection is only 3.1 megabits per second, less than half of the median advertised rate of "up to" 7 megabits per second.
Although broadband providers disagree with the results of the study, they have thus far failed to present their own speed data or testing methods. Providers also claim the factors affecting the speed are beyond their control, with justifications varying from the customer's distance to the central office to the speed of his or her home computer.
Regardless of what may be slowing the connection speed, the FCC claims the advertised "up to" speeds are often pointless, if not misleading.
According to the National Broadband Plan released in mid-March, actual download speeds vary by technology as well. While median actual download speeds for fiber and cable are 5-6 megabits per second, median speeds for DSL connections are 1.5-2 megabits per second, and for satellite, only 1 megabit per second.
The problem is not unique to the United States, however. Studies in the United Kingdom, New Zealand, Australia, Italy, and Ireland have shown similar results.
While the ultimate goal of the FCC is to raise connection speeds throughout the country, the Commission also seeks a national speed standard, similar to the mile-per-gallon rating on an automobile.
Find out your actual broadband download speed with Speedmatters' speed test.
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